


Sleep Dear Brother

by sesska94



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Choking, Drug Use, Forced Orgasm, M/M, Non-Consensual Bondage, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Overstimulation, Rape/Non-con Elements, Self-Harm, Somnophilia, Yandere Papyrus (Undertale)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2020-02-16 10:09:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18689362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sesska94/pseuds/sesska94
Summary: Papyrus notices Sans is struggling to get enough sleep at night, so he hatches a plan to help him out.





	1. Chapter 1

“Sans!”

Papyrus watched his older brother jump up into a sitting position behind the sentry station, the shorter skeleton’s hazy eye lights looking up at him. Recognition dawned after a moment and Sans gave the taller skeleton a lazy grin.

“Oh hey bro. What’s up?” Sans asked, yawning out his words.

“You know very well “what’s up” brother,” Papyrus scolded. “You were sleeping at your post again!”

“Heh, sorry bro. Guess I’m not completely awake yet this morning,” Sans replied with a bashful smile. Papyrus groaned quietly. “Don’t worry ‘bout it. I’ll be fine.”

“Sans, these sleeping antics of yours have been happening more frequently as of late. Are you sure you’re alright?” Sans’ smile faded by only a fraction; a detail Papyrus did not fail to miss. As much as Sans liked to believe that Papyrus was naïve and innocent, he was not. Papyrus wasn’t going to tell his brother that, though. Not yet anyway. 

The taller skeleton pondered quietly as Sans continued to say that he was fine. Could it be that the nightmares were keeping him up at night again? Or was it his late nights at Grillby’s keeping Sans in this exhausted state? He hadn’t been complaining of nightmares lately, and usually Papyrus would wake up during those nights. He was always more than happy to comfort Sans. Knowing Sans felt safe in his arms meant the world to him. 

“Well, I suppose you’re right, but no more slacking off okay?” Papyrus said finally. The small hint of nervousness was instantly gone from Sans’ expression and the smaller skeleton slouched over the counter.

“You got it bro.” Papyrus smiled at his brother’s cute and relaxed demeanor. He may usually act like his brother’s laziness irritated him, but he would do anything and everything to keep his brother happy and safe like this at any cost. He bid Sans farewell and returned to his rounds. Though, this time he wasn’t focused on work.

Sans was not getting enough sleep. It had to have something to with his visits to Grillby’s. Papyrus never really liked those long hours Sans spent there. He didn’t have anything against the fire monster, but allowing Sans to get drunk every night and leave him in such a vulnerable state was not something Papyrus enjoyed witnessing. If these nightly activities were now interfering with his brother’s physical and mental well-being… 

The taller skeleton shuddered, a small ripple of anger going down his spine. Papyrus could not allow this to continue any longer, but how could he help Sans? He had stopped pacing in the snow and thought for a while. Then he realized something; Sans’ excuse to go the Grillby’s in the first place was to eat! Papyrus smiled, an idea forming in his mind. 

“Yes, that would be perfect!”

Sans had come home right on schedule, just as Papyrus had anticipated. 

“Hey Papyrus, I’m back from work.”

“Welcome home, brother,” Papyrus called from the kitchen, checking his pasta noodles to see if they were tender. 

“How was training with Undyne?” Sans asked from the doorway.

Papyrus has smiled brightly to Sans as he set down the ladle. “Oh it went splendidly! She even trained me on a new spaghetti recipe today!” Papyrus saw Sans hesitate for a moment, but he paid no attention to it. He was confident that Sans would love this one.

“Actually bro, I was planning on joining the guys at Grillby’s for supper. I hope you don’t mind, I wouldn’t want to let them down,” Sans said quickly, acting aloof in his words. Papyrus’ smile faded. While he had expected as much, it didn’t hurt any less to hear it. He picked the ladle up once more, looking down at his pot of spaghetti noodles sadly.

“Oh… Well in that case, I guess I can put your portion in the fridge as left overs. It’s not my place to ask you to stay,” he said solemnly. Sans was quiet, though Papyrus could tell he hadn’t left. He let out a small sigh. “It’s a shame though. It wouldn’t be as good as left overs than it would be when eaten fresh.”

There was a moment of silence as Papyrus stirred his noodles one more time. Then he heard Sans step over to him. He looked over to his brother when he felt him grab his free hand. Sans had given him a nervous but relaxed smile, his tired gaze full of trust.

“Okay bro, I guess the guys will understand a family night,” Sans said. Papyrus smiled happily and squeezed his brother’s hand gently before letting go of it. 

“Good! Well my masterpiece will be ready soon. Just leave it to me!” Once Sans had left the room, Papyrus had went to work to finish making supper. After adding the secret ingredient to his brother’s plate, he took their food to the table. “Supper is ready Sans!” 

The unaware skeleton sat down at the table and looked at his plate of spaghetti. “Huh, it looks pretty good, bro.” Papyrus glowed at the praise, watching Sans take a bite. His brother paused and Papyrus felt a small bubble of panic form inside of him. Had he noticed? “Say Pap?”

“Yes Sans?”

“What did you do different?” Papyrus was silent, not sure what to say. Luckily he didn’t need to say anything, because Sans had continued. “This tastes pretty good.” 

Papyrus’ soul pulsed happily in surprise and he smiled.

“You mean it?” he asked. The only response he got from Sans was a nod as he took another bite. That was all the assurance Papyrus had needed.

They ate together in relative silence. Usually they talked quite a bit, but tonight Sans was intent on eating. Papyrus was fine with this. He didn’t feel up to conversation tonight anyway. About halfway through his meal, Sans had begun picking at his food. He was showing signs of sleepiness. Papyrus smiled and finished his plate before getting up. “You okay Sans? You aren’t eating much anymore.”

Sans hummed softly, closing his eyes for a moment before sharply opening them again. “I dunno… Guess I’m full.”

“That’s alright Sans,” Papyrus said cheerfully, taking his brother’s plate to the kitchen. “It’s just as well. MTTV is going to come on soon!” He came over and guided his brother to the couch, who seemed content in being lead to a softer seat. “We can watch that until bedtime.”

“Mm, sounds good bro,” Sans said with a yawn. Papyrus sat beside his and turned on the television, happily watching “Cooking with a Killer Robot”. Another fifteen minutes had passed before Papyrus felt Sans rest his skull against his arm, soft snores coming from him. Papyrus smiled and quietly turned the television off. 

“Out like a light. Looks like my plan worked like a charm.” Papyrus gently lifted Sans in his arms and got up from the couch. Sans didn’t so much as stir as Papyrus cradled him in his arms and took him upstairs to his bedroom.

“Although, it’s too bad you won’t be able to read me my bedtime story tonight.” Sitting Sans on the bed, Papyrus took off his brother’s hoodie and slippers with ease before tucking him into bed. He sat down beside his sound asleep brother and smiled lovingly down at him, resting on hand on top of his skull.

“No matter though. I can read to myself. It’ll be worth it knowing you’re safe with me.” Papyrus watched him sleep for a minute or two. Sans looked so peaceful sleeping this way. The younger skeleton laughed softly to himself. 

“To think that just a little bit of medicine was enough to put you fast asleep… We’ll have no need to worry about you not getting enough sleep anymore, will we? You won’t have a reason to go to that silly bar anymore for meals, which means no more coming home drunk. Everyone is happy, and you’re here where I can look after you.” Papyrus smiled happily down at Sans before he leaned down and laid a small kiss on his forehead. “Good night brother.”


	2. Chapter 2

Papyrus looked up to the upstairs balcony when he heard Sans’ door open that morning. His brother had come down and yawned, his shirt raising slightly when he stretched and showing a glimpse of spine and pelvis. Papyrus looked away from the sight and smiled to Sans.

“Good morning Sans! Did you sleep well?” 

Sans gave him a drowsy smile. “Yeah, actually. Don’t remember going to bed though.”

“I’m not surprised!” Papyrus said with a small laugh. He went to the kitchen and poured both a bowl of cereal for them both. “You fell asleep halfway through Cooking with a Killer Robot!’ You must have really needed the sleep.” Sans had taken the bowl and gave an apologetic smile.

“Sorry bro. Did you manage okay without a story?”

“Yes yes yes! Not to worry, dear brother, I can handle one night without a story.” Sans seemed reassured and sat on the couch to eat his breakfast. Papyrus ate at the table while stewing over a Junior Jumble. Once it was time to go patrolling, Sans was dressed and ready to go along with him. Papyrus was more than delighted to walk with Sans to Snowdin Woods, and later that day when he went to check up on Sans he was happy to see that Sans had not fallen asleep on the job yet. He looked bored and a little sleepy, but he was awake. That was an improvement, and that meant it was working.

Sans waved goodbye to Papyrus as he returned to his rounds, taking his crossword out from underneath the stand and returning to his game. It had been a while since he was awake enough to do this during work, and it was a nice way to slack off without slacking off. He was in a really good mood today. Not only did he get a good amount of sleep, but he wasn’t plagued by his usual genocidal nightmares for once. It was a greatly accepted break.

Just as he was starting to get into his usual focused lull, he heard the crunch of footsteps in the snow. He put his crossword away quickly and looked to see who was approaching. He sighed when he spotted Dogamy and Dogressa walking over to him.

“Hey guys, what brings you into my neck of the woods?” Sans asked, smiling lazily in their direction. The two nose-nuzzlers stood in front of his guard station, Dogamy leaning against the side of it.

“Wanted to check on you,” the dog guard replied.

“(Were worried about you),” his wife added. Sans drew a blank on what they meant until he remembered that he didn’t go to Grillby’s last night. 

“Aw geez, you didn’t have to come all the way out here to check on me,” Sans said bashfully. 

“It’s not like you to skip out on visiting Grillby’s,” Dogamy pressed. 

Sans shrugged. “My bro wanted a family night. I didn’t have the heart to tell him no.”

Dogressa’s tail wagged happily. “(I’m glad to see you’re spending more time with him!)”

Dogamy nodded. “You should spend more time with him, but you’re going to join the card game tonight, aren’t you?”

“Won’t you?”

“Oh yeah, of course I will. I wouldn’t miss it,” Sans affirmed. Even if he didn’t play cards much, he loved watching the dog guards play. They always got really into it, and it was fun to watch Doggo get mad and knock over the table if he lost. “It sounds like a howling good time.”

The dogs laughed at his pun and then said their goodbyes, needing to return to patrol. Sans checked his internal clock. Almost noon. Perfect time to take a break and teleport to Grillby’s, then he’d be off to the hotdog stand in Waterfall.

But first, he had to check in with Papyrus.

__________

“Grillby’s?” Papyrus certainly did not expect to deal with this today. He would have thought after how good last night’s meal was, Sans would have rather eat his food instead. Did he really still want to go to that grease bar?

Sans nodded with his usual easy-going smile. “Yep, figured I’d let you know before I went on break to watch another area afterwards.” The younger brother cursed Sans’ cute and relaxed attitude towards everything. While Papyrus would rather have not known that his brother intended to eat at Grillby’s, he was none the less relieved to know; he at least had a chance to change his brother’s mind. “So I’m just gonna-“

Thinking quickly, Papyrus grabbed Sans’ arm before he could teleport away. “S-Sans, I don’t want you going to that bar today!” Sans frowned, looking bewildered. Papyrus needed to act fast to keep his attention. “The food there is unhealthy for you! All that grease is just going to make you feel sluggish again.”

“Uh… Pap I eat there all the time-“

“Yes, but usually you don’t have as much energy as you do today. You don’t want to ruin that by eating unhealthy, do you?” Papyrus asked, looking down at Sans hopefully. He watched his brother study him for a moment or two before he finally let out a sigh. To Papyrus’ relief, Sans smiled up at him in surrender.

“Alright, you got me there. What would you suggest?” he asked. Papyrus beamed.

“I could cook again,” he offered excitedly. “Or we could even run home quick and make sandwiches together. It’s fast, healthy, and it makes for good quality time!” The smile that Sans gave him nearly made soul melt.

“You’re the greatest, bro.”

__________

And so the day had went on with Sans spending most of his break times with Papyrus, content in his brother’s presence. Before he knew it, all of Sans’ shifts were over and he hadn’t visited Grillby’s once all day. It was a surreal realization for him. He couldn’t remember that last time he had done something like this.

As he walked at Papyrus’ side on their way home, he was lost in thought about this. When they passed by Grillby’s, Sans had stopped, looking up at the building. What was it about this that bothered him so much? It was an itch in the back of his skull he just couldn’t quite scratch. Did he feel bad for not checking in on his pals?

He suddenly remembered card night and relaxed. That’s right, he’d see them later tonight. He’d sit down, say hi to Grillby, grab a drink and watch his friends bet out their dog treats. He was worrying for nothing.

“Sans? Are you okay?” Papyrus’ voice snapped Sans out of his mental bubble. He looked over to his dear brother, who was only a few feet away from him, and smiled. 

“Nah bro, just spacing out.” He caught up with Papyrus and followed him the rest of the way home, ready to chill on the couch for a few minutes and rest his feet.

“So I was thinking on making what we had last night for supper, but make a bigger batch so we could have leftovers! What do you say, brother?”

Sans sat down and watched his brother go to the kitchen. He chuckled. 

“Actually bro, I was thinking on going to Grillby’s and watch the dogs play poker tonight,” Sans said, closing his eyes as he relaxed on the old couch. There was a moment of silence before Papyrus spoke.

“You don’t want my cooking tonight?” he asked, and Sans was alarmed to hear the dejected tone to his brother’s voice. He sat up and looked over to the kitchen archway, where Papyrus was standing there with a sad expression.

“Bro, no! Don’t take it that way. It’s just that I made plans with Dogamy and Dogressa to play cards tonight.”

“Oh, so now you’re playing poker. Gambling is not a good habit either, Sans.”

“It’s… It’s not really gambling. They bet with dog biscuits, and I’m mostly there for the fun and to chat with Grillby,” Sans said. He was starting to feel kind of bad. Was Papyrus not okay with him going as often as he did? It was a little selfish of him to go night after night, but he had his reasons. 

Papyrus was quiet, his eye lights searching and distracted. Just how much did this bother him? Finally, his brother spoke.

“Would you at least stay and eat supper first…?”

It broke his heart to hear that sad tone in Papyrus’ voice. Sans sighed and finally put on that smile he was well practiced on making and nodded. “Sure, what’s the harm in it? It’ll save us a little bit of gold in the long run anyway.”

Papyrus smiled, relief evident in his gaze. “Good, then I better get started! Wouldn’t want you to be late for the card game.”

Once Papyrus had finished supper, Sans happily ate the pleasantly tasting spaghetti in front of him. All he could think was to thank Asgore that Undyne finally gave Papyrus a decent recipe. He had managed to finish his plate this time, though he noticed that he felt a bit drowsy. He shook it off, though. He just assumed it would wear off when he got to the bar and had some fun.

“Alright, I’m gonna head to Grillby’s now, bro,” he said as he got up, fighting off a small wave of dizziness that went over him. He must of got up too fast.

“Alright Sans.” Was Papyrus’ voice getting farther away? “Don’t be gone too long. You have work tomorrow.”

“Got it.” Sans walked over to the door slowly and opened it to step out into the chilly evening just as everything suddenly went blank.

__________

Papyrus watched Sans sluggishly open the front door and he had cautiously stayed close behind him. Sure enough, Sans had barely even made it a step out the door before he dropped safely into Papyrus’ waiting grasp. He quickly shut the door as he held Sans’ sleeping form in his arms.

“That was a close one, Sans,” he said tenderly as he took him up the stairs. “You really need to be more careful.” He slowly got his brother ready for bed and tucked him in. “You didn’t really need to go anyway.”

Papyrus once again was watching Sans sleep, staring in wonder at his brother’s serene expression. Slowly, he leaned over Sans and place another kiss to his forehead. When he pulled back, however, he paused. 

“…You’re too good for them Sans,” he mumbled quietly. “They just don’t know you like I do.”

Placing a hand to Sans’ cheek, Papyrus rested their foreheads together and shut his eyes. “Only I could ever understand.”


	3. Chapter 3

Sans awoke feeling very confused. The last thing he remembered was leaving the house to go to Grillby’s. When did he get home or go to bed? He sat up and looked around his room.

“What happened…?”

He got up and grabbed his hoodie. It didn’t smell of alcohol and dog biscuits, but it also didn’t smell of fresh laundry either. This was a sign that Sans didn’t go out last night, which didn’t make sense because he remembered going out the door. He frowned and put his jacket on, scratching his skull as he made his way downstairs.

“Good morning Sans!” came the usual greeting from Papyrus’ room. Sans gave a quiet grunt in reply, too confused to muster up a real response. It didn’t go unnoticed. Papyrus had come out to the landing a moment later. “Are you alright brother?”

Sans stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked up at Papyrus. “Yeah bro, just… What happened last night?”

“What do you mean?” the taller skeleton asked. 

“I’m kinda blanking out on last night. I don’t remember much after supper,” Sans replied. Papyrus frowned a little and came downstairs. Sans continued, “Could you refresh me at all of anything?”

“Well after supper you left to Grillby’s,” Papyrus mused. “You came home just before midnight and passed out on the couch. You smelled like alcohol as usual, so I took you to bed.” 

Sans thought about his brother’s words and started to become suspicious. His clothes did not smell like alcohol, and he didn’t have a headache from a hangover. It didn’t make sense, but Papyrus wouldn’t lie to him; Sans couldn’t even dream of his sweet brother lying to him. 

Maybe the alcohol smell was only residual. Maybe that night he chose not to drink and the smell was from the bar. That was why he didn’t have a headache. Residual smells don’t usually last as long as normal smells, right? As much as Sans wanted to believe it, it didn’t feel right. He needed a second opinion.

“Well, whatever. Guess I was really tired after the card game,” he concluded to his brother. Papyrus nodded with a smile and went towards to the kitchen. Sans had started going for the door. “Say bro, I’m going to stop by the bar quick before my shift and talk to Grillby about something.” The sounds of the pans being moved around stopped. Sans could feel Papyrus’ gaze on him.

“Sans, if you go there, you’ll dilly dally! You’ll be late for work,” he heard Papyrus call. This caused Sans to pause on opening the door. “And besides, you promised to help me make sandwiches for lunch so you can keep them at the sentry station.” This is the third day now that Papyrus was trying to distract him from visiting Grillby’s.

Sans turned to him and smiled lazily. “It’s cool bro. I’m not in the mood for sandwiches today anyway.” Papyrus did not look happy. “And I promise I won’t be late. You can even check on me before you start your rounds. I’ll be there.” Sans watched Papyrus carefully, noting that it took a few seconds of contemplation before relaxing.

“Well… Alright brother. I trust you.” Sans let out a relieved sigh. Maybe he was overthinking things.

“Cool. I see you soon bro.” Sans went out into the cool snowy morning and took in a refreshing breath of air. Tension left him as he let it out. He was overthinking it. He just wasn’t used to having dreamless night. No nightmares, more time with his brother. Stuff seemed so easy now. He smiled and walked on to Grillby’s. When he reached the building, he went to the back instead of the front. It was still too early for the front door to be open, and Grillby’s house was connected in the back. The fire monster had made it clear a good year and a half ago that he was free to make house visits outside of business hours. He went to the door and knocked leisurely. Grillby answered a minute later and he looked slightly relieved, which instantly unnerved Sans. 

“Sans,” Grillby greeted in his usual whisper. “It’s good to see you.”

“Yeah Grillb’s, good to see ya too,” Sans replied, smiling. “Can I come in for a bit? I wanna talk.”

“Of course.” Grillby stepped aside and Sans went past him, enjoying the instant transition from cold to warm. It was always warm in Grillby’s home, but never too warm. It was like a soothing campfire, and it was one of the many reasons he loved to come to the bar. Even if he wasn’t there to drink, sometimes all he needed after a taxing day was to just chill in Grillby’s presence and chat; today was not one of those days.

Sans went over and sat down at the dining table, watching Grillby sit in the chair closest to him. “Can I ask you something?” he asked. 

The fire monster crackled with soft laughter. “Sans, you know you can always talk to me, no matter the topic. It’s what friends do,” he told him, and Sans couldn’t help but smile for a moment.

“Did I show up to the bar last night?”

Grillby gave him a concerned look, not answering right away; Sans felt he already knew the answer.

“No Sans. You haven’t been to the bar in almost three days. I was starting to get worried, honestly.”

“Yeah well, the last couple days I was spending time with Papyrus,” he explained, scratching the back of his skull bashfully. “Sorry for worryin’ ya.” Grillby gave him an affectionate look and Sans smiled. “Whelp, thanks for telling me, Grillb’s. I betting get going to work, or Pap’ll have my head.”

“Alright Sans. Will you be stopping by tonight?”

“You bet, man,” he answered. Grillby nodded with a sense of relief. They both said their goodbyes and Grillby showed him out.  As soon as that door closed and he was out of view, Sans’ smile disappeared.

Papyrus said he had smelled like alcohol, but he never went to Grillby’s.

Papyrus swears he had left the house and was gone for hours.

If he wasn’t at Grillby’s last night, where did he go?

__________

“Sans, where were you at lunch? I had stopped by to give you a Cinnabunny from the store!” Papyrus was walking beside Sans after work. His brother seemed off today, something that greatly concerned him.

“I went to Grillby’s for lunch. I was in the mood for a burger,” Sans told him bluntly. Papyrus had to take a moment to keep calm. Overreacting would only make things worse. 

“Well then, I insist you stay for supper tonight! You were gone most of the night last night after all.” He saw Sans hesitate. 

“I dunno bro, I’m not really in the mood for spaghetti again tonight,” Sans sighed. Papyrus frowned. This was bad. He had to think quickly. 

“But uh- I wasn’t going to make spaghetti,” Papyrus stammered. This made Sans look up curiously. 

“What bro? That’s new. You love cooking spaghetti.”

“I know, but I figured it would be best to try something else for once! If I am to become the greatest chef in the Underground, I must branch out a bit!”

Sans smiled and, to Papyrus’ relief, he sighed. “I guess I gotta try out The Great Chef Papyrus’ new dish,” he admonished. Papyrus couldn’t help the small blush as he glowed with pride. Maybe he needed to branch out more often after all. “Still, I did promise to stop in to Grillby’s tonight, so at least let me tell Grillb’s that we got plans, okay?” 

Papyrus sighed. As long as it was just to tell the bartender he wasn’t sticking around. It would also get him a chance to find a good dish to make. “Alright Sans, just be home for supper and don’t ruin your appetite beforehand!” Papyrus warned.

“Pap, I’m coming home for supper, why would I eat at Grillby’s?” Sans asked with a playful wink. 

“And no alcohol,” the younger brother added. Sans started walking in the direction of the bar, his hands in his pockets.

“’Kay, you got it, bro,” Sans called back. With that, he entered Grillby’s; a sight Papyrus wasn’t the happiest to witness. At least he had bought himself time to think of something. Papyrus had quickly set off to the shop to whip up an idea. When Sans had returned home a little while later, Papyrus was just coming home with the ingredients he would need for supper.

“Alright bro, what’s for supper?”

“Soup! Cheesy potato and broccoli soup, to be exact!” Papyrus answered, earning a grunt of approval from Sans.

“Sounds sim- eh tasty Pap. A bit healthier than I’m used to, but it still sounds great,” he said. Papyrus smiled, getting to work on dinner. Once the soup was boiling good and the potatoes were soft, he poured Sans’ bowl, making sure to stir in his special ingredient, noting how easily it was to add the drug to soup instead of spaghetti and then choosing to add a half dose more. He had to be sure that delayed reaction from last night would not happen again.

_I can’t risk him leaving again._

That night Papyrus barely ate as he watched Sans finish his bowl of soup. He acted accordingly when Sans praised him for the new dish. He smiled as Sans yawned when he took his bowl to the sink and rinsed it out. He bid Sans goodnight from the kitchen as his beloved brother chose to turn in early for the night. 

_I have to make sure he is safely in bed every night._

When the dishes were done Papyrus had sat down to watching MTTV, but he was restless. Something felt off to him. After ten minutes he had shut off the television and paced the living room a couple times. When he stopped at the foot of the stairs he realized what was bothering him. He didn’t tuck Sans in tonight. He didn’t need to, though it wouldn’t hurt to make sure he made it to the bed.

Pausing at the door, he listened for the soft snoring signaling that Sans was fast asleep. When he went inside, he took in the sight of his brother sprawled over the bed. He wasn’t even under the blanket. Papyrus chuckled quietly and went to the bedside.

“Really Sans, you can’t even put yourself to bed without my help,” he whispered adoringly. He brushed his fingers over Sans’ temple, to which his brother turned his head towards the touch. Papyrus smiled. “I don’t mind. I love taking care of you.”

_I’m the only one he needs to depend on._

“You look so vulnerable like this,” he admonished, his fingers trailing down Sans’ cheek and over the bones of his neck.

_I’m the only one who can protect him._

“I won’t let anyone else touch you.”

…

…

_What are you doing Pap…_


	4. Chapter 4

_Sans was being held in Papyrus’ lap in a half awake stupor. They were in his bedroom, or that’s where he thought they were, and Papyrus was unusually quiet. The taller skeleton’s hand had slowly went under Sans’ clothes and were exploring over his ribcage. He had grabbed Papyrus’ wrist in an attempt to stop him, but it only seemed to encourage the younger skeleton to continue._

_“You look so vulnerable like this, brother,” he heard Papyrus whisper. His voice was in a husky tone that Sans never would want to hear come from his brother’s mouth._

_This is wrong. This was wrong and Sans knew it._

_“What are you doing Pap?” Sans tried to say, but his voice was muted as if he was trying to speak though water. Even so, Papyrus had covered Sans’ mouth with his hand as his explorations forced a broken gasp of pleasure from him. Sans couldn’t move; he couldn’t fight Papyrus off and it scared him._

_This is wrong… This can’t be actually happening!.._

Sans jolted up in bed, throwing his hands out in front of him as if to push away some invisible force. He squinted his sockets at the morning light that filtered through his window, taking in his surroundings. He was in his bedroom, half covered by his blankets and alone. He slowly hugged himself and let out a shudder from remembering his dream.

“It was just a dream,” Sans whispered to himself.

Not a dream. A nightmare. One he had never had before. It was the type of nightmare that left him feel more than a little disgusting. He shook his head, trying to push the images from his mind. He got up from bed and grabbed a towel from his dresser. An early morning shower would push those feelings from his mind, he was sure of it.

Sans quietly exited his room and listened for the sound of Papyrus making breakfast. To his surprise, the house was silent. How early is it?… 

He stopped in front of Papyrus’ door and sure enough he could hear the light snores of his brother sleeping. Although Sans usually took some comfort in hearing them, the knowledge his brother was close actually made him shiver this morning. He chose not to disturb his brother yet. Not until he could get these foreign feelings out of his system. 

He went into the bathroom and began to strip, tuning on the shower tap to let it warm up. As he waited, he paused to look in the mirror. He looked himself over seeing if there was anything off about him this morning. There wasn’t. He let out a short sigh and stepped into the shower, enjoying the slightly too hot water going over his bones as he washed himself as clean as he could manage. After he finished his shower he had cleared his head for the most part. He redressed and quietly headed down the stairs. 

_I need to go to Grillby’s… It may be a bit early, but I need to get away from this house._

Sans made a beeline for the front door, getting as far as turning the handle. 

“Sans, where are you going?”

Sans froze, startled by his brother’s voice. He turned and looked up at the stairs. Papyrus was slowly walking down them, rubbing his eyes as if he had just woken up. “U-Uh… You were sleepin’, so I figured I’d grab breakfast at Grillby’s,” Sans answered. Papyrus frowned and began to approach Sans.

_Don’t come close-._  

“Well I’m awake now, so I’ll make breakfast,” Papyrus started.

“Nah bro, it’s cool!” Sans said quickly, backing up against the door. “You deserve a day off on that account. You make breakfast every morning.” Sans shivered as Papyrus put a hand on his shoulder. 

“I insist you stay for breakfast, brother.”

“Bro, really. It’s just breakfast-“ 

Papyrus pulled him away from the door, taking Sans by surprise at the amount of force that had been put behind the action. “You are not going to that bar, Sans!” The shorter skeleton froze up at his brother’s suddenly harsh tone, looking up at him in bewilderment. “It’s like that’s all you think about! You try making any and all excuses to go there.”

“B-Bro, it’s just a bar…”

“It’s not the bar that bothers me, Sans,” Papyrus revealed. Sans’ sockets widened in realization. 

“It’s Grillby that bugs you, isn’t it,” Sans concluded. He let out a slightly nervous chuckle, trying to break the tension. “Awe come on bro. Grillb’s and I are just pals. There’s nothing to worry abo-“

“That’s enough Sans,” Papyrus cut in, his tone of voice shifting into something that made chills run down Sans’ spine. This was dangerous. I need to leave.

“It’s okay Pap-“ 

“Sans, I think you should take the day off.” Papyrus said suddenly in an oddly cheerful voice. Sans frowned and opened his mouth to ask what Papyrus meant, but he didn’t get a chance to ask. Before he could get out a word, Papyrus had picked Sans up and hauled him up over his shoulder. He took him up to his bedroom while Sans was disoriented and set him down in bed. Sans had barely even registered what had happened before Papyrus had shut his bedroom door. He got up a second later and tried to leave, but the door was locked from the outside. When did Papyrus install a lock on his door?! 

“Papyrus?” Sans called through the door. “Papyrus let me out! This isn’t funny!”

“Don’t worry Sans. Just take a break for the day. I have the stations covered for you,” Papyrus had called, his voice a far distance from the door. Then Sans head the front door open and close. He quickly went to his window and watched Papyrus walk away. He huffed a sigh and flopped down onto his mattress. 

“I’m too tired for this… What the hell was that about…?”

Sans knew he had to get out for a while and talk to someone about this, but it was too far down from the window and his door was locked.

_Wait, I can teleport._

“Dear Asgore, I’m an idiot,” Sans chuckled. He got and snapped his fingers to teleport outside, but something strange happened as he teleported. A huge wave of dizziness and exhaustion went through him. It had forced him to stop half way and he collapsed onto the living room floor a panting mess. He looked up and the room spun around him. 

_What’s happening to me..? This…_

Sans pushed himself to his feet and stumbled forward, leaning against the couch to steady himself.

_This only happens when my magic levels are low…_

He made his way to the door, gripping onto the handle as his vision started to fuzz.

_I can worry about that later. Right now… I want to go talk to Grillby about this…_

With that, Sans turned the handle and pushed the door open. He wasn’t prepared for the wind to catch the door and pull it open and it forced Sans out of the house. Dizzy and confused, Sans had no chance of catching his balance and he fell down the front steps of the house into the snow. He heard someone shout his name, but he didn’t have the strength to look at who had saw him fall. He felt someone grab him just as he fell unconscious.

__________

When Sans woke up hours later, he had hesitated to open his eyes, instead choosing to take in his surroundings and checking over himself. He was in a bed. His bed, and he was only in a shirt and shorts. His HP was stable, but his magic was weak. It was almost like he had been drained of his strength overnight. His head also hurt, be he suspected that was from falling. How had he gotten back into his room?

He slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that Papyrus was sitting at the foot of his bed, and he looked troubled.

_Someone must have saw me fall and went to get Papyrus. Geez, I must have really scared him…_

Sans quietly spoke up. “P-Papyrus..?” 

His brother had instantly looked up at him and his expression lifted into one of relief. “Sans! Thank goodness, you are awake. I was so worried,” he exclaimed. Sans couldn’t help the small smile. That was the brother he knew so well.  “Dogamy told me that he and his wife saw you fall from the front porch on the way to work and came running for me… You really scared me, brother.” 

“Sorry bro… the wind caught the door,” Sans said. “I guess I lost my footing. Sorry for scaring ya.” 

Papyrus had nodded and got up, adjusting his blankets. “I should have known better than to leave you alone. How did you even get out of your room? It was locked.” Sans frowned, staying silent. Papyrus looked him over, seeming to answer that question by himself. “You must have used your teleporting powers again, but your magic is unstable,” he said, sounding even more worried. “Sans, you should have known that was dangerous in the state you’re in! You could have been seriously injured!” 

“Y-Yeah… I guess I over estimated myself. You gotta admit though, you freaked me out a bit,” Sans admitted. “You locked me in my room, bro.” 

Papyrus had frowned as Sans spoke and then he sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I over reacted.” Sans sighed in relief and smiled up at Papyrus softly.

“No hard feelings, bro.”

“Good, but until your magic had stabilized, I am not letting you out of bed,” Papyrus said firmly. He was finally back to his usual over caring self and Sans couldn’t help the chuckle he gave. “This is no laughing matter, Sans. You need bedrest, so no more magic. Undyne has instructed me to take as much time off as I need until you are well!”

“Yeah, okay Pap,” Sans sighed, closing his eyes. “I’ll be okay now that you’re here…” There was a brief moment of silence and then he heard Papyrus let out a quiet, happy nyeh and walk to the door. “Hey bro…?” 

“Yes Sans?” 

“Could you make that soup from last night again…? That stuff was really good,” Sans yawned out sleepily. He heard Papyrus let out a small chuckle. After a moment he felt Papyrus’ warm hand rest against his skull. He couldn’t help but relax under the familiar touch.

“Of course, brother. Anything for you.” 


	5. Chapter 5

Papyrus was at Sans’ every beck and call for the next four days, and each night he continued to give Sans his nightly dose of medicine with his evening meal. For the first few days, Papyrus couldn’t help noticing that Sans was not improving in his condition. He continued to be drained of energy and any effort to use magic made his condition unstable. Papyrus had spent a good portion of the night watching Sans as he slept, pondering what could have been causing the abrupt change. He couldn’t think of a solution, and by morning he was starting to worry if he would need to call for a doctor to check on Sans’ condition.

It quickly became clear that was the case as the afternoon of the fifth day rolled around. Papyrus had went up to check on Sans with some pain killers and water for a chest pain Sans had begun to complain about after dinner. When he went into Sans’ room, he was alarmed to see Sans sitting up against the wall on his bed and covering his ears. He approached the bed and set the glass on the dresser. Sans had jolted at the sound the glass made against the wood.

“Sans? I brought the pain medicine you requested,” Papyrus offered, looking him over in concern as Sans gave him a confused look.

“Pain meds? I don’ remember asking fer that,” Sans murmured, his words slurred as if he was barely awake. “M’not even in pain.”

Papyrus tilted his head in confusion. “Sans, you were only just complaining about chest pains not fifteen minutes ago.”

“I’m telling ya Pap, M’not in pain. I don’t really feel anythin’.” Papyrus noticed the shake in Sans’ arms as he lowered them from his skull and started scooting himself to the edge of the bed. He slid to his feet, and warning bells rung in Papyrus’ mind when he watched his brother grip the bed to steady himself “I’m… I’m gonna go… downsta-“

“Sans I do not recommend that,” Papyrus started, shadowing Sans’ shaky steps away from the bed. Sans turned himself to argue, but Papyrus only just saw Sans’ eye lights go dim before he went unconscious and fell into his arms. “Sans! No… No, this is wrong.” Papyrus shook Sans in an attempt to rouse him, but his brother just stayed limp in his grip. He show no sign of stirring, nor did he snore like he did when he was relaxed and sleeping. He quickly laid Sans back in bed and took out his phone. He knew he needed to call someone for help now, and the best person to call was Doctor Alphys. 

__________

Sans awoke to the sound of Alphys talking about something involving magic levels and instability.

_Did… Did I fall asleep in the lab again?_

He opened his eyes and groaned as his vision swam. He was in a bed, but it was too soft to be a cot in the lab. And wasn’t that Papyrus’ voice in the distance? He turned his gaze away from the spinning room and put his hand to his forehead as the loud ringing in his head started again.

“O-Oh good! It looks like he’s waking up.”

“Sans! Thank goodness!”

Sans put his hand up to silence them. “Too loud,” he murmured. He couldn’t handle their loud voices along with the ringing in his head at the moment. His skull was pounding and he could feel his magic going haywire the more he woke up.

“Oh, s-sorry Sans,” Alphys apologized, her voice toning down a few octaves. “It’s not our fault really. W-We’re both just relieved that you are awake in the first place.”

“What happened…? I don’t remember passing out,” Sans muttered, sighing as the ringing quieted somewhat.

“Papyrus called me, saying you passed out and couldn’t be woken. He was worried you had F-Fallen on him,” she murmured, tentative to say that word in front of him. Sans automatically hid his nervousness behind a tired smile and a chuckle, opening his eyes to face them both. He was thankful that his vision had righted itself for the time being.

“Well I’m awake, so no worries there,” he said with false nonchalance. Alphys gave him a slightly nervous smile, like she was trying to look at the situation in the same light. Papyrus, of course, was not falling for his act and gave him an irritated frown. “Just give it straight to me, Doc. What’s up with me?”

“Um… w-well… Sans, have you been taking any strong medication lately?” Alphys’ question made Sans’ smile fade. Medication? Aside from the pain meds Papyrus had offered after lunch he hadn’t touched anything for weeks.

“No?” he answered uncertainly, confusion obvious in his tone.

Papyrus smiled in evident relief. “See Alphys? I told you Sans wasn’t abusing any medicines,” his brother exclaimed, practically beaming.

“Yea- wait… Wait, abusing medicine? What are you guys implying?” Sans asked.

“Well f-from my readings on your magic and physical health from what Papyrus told me, it was v-very clear you were showing signs from medication abuse or overdose. If your health had continued to deteriorate at the rate it has, you could d-die Sans. P-Papyrus could come in one day and you would be d-d-dust…” Sans went quiet, failing to hide the confusion on his face. He wasn’t just sick; something had been seriously wrong with him. He’d had his suspicions the past couple days during the times his mind was clear enough to think about it. What he could never wrap his head around was how he could have been getting sick.

A thought occurred to him. It was a small thought, almost insignificantly small, but it was one that buried itself into the back of his skull either way. He sat up slowly and cast a glance to Papyrus. His brother had been quick to come to his side and helping him sit up properly.

_My own brother… The only person I have around me almost constantly… Could that even-_

Sans shook the thought from his mind, refusing to believe something that ridiculous. This was Papyrus he was accusing. Sweet, innocent Papyrus that Sans would die or kill for if he had the chance. What sort of brother was he to think of such a thing?

He smiled up at Papyrus, thankfully easing his poor younger brother’s thoughts when Sans saw the worry leave his gaze. He then looked to Alphys. “Whelp… I don’t know how that could have happened. I guess I’ll have to watch my health for a while. Thanks for comin’ down and checking me out Alphys,” Sans said to her, ignoring the nervous look he watched her give Papyrus. _She’s worrying for nothing again._

“Well, I suppose that’s that,” Papyrus said suddenly. He stood up tall and went to Alphys. “Sans is awake and now we know what to watch out for!”

“B-But,” Alphys started to speak, but went quiet when Papyrus took her hand and  shook it while turning her towards the door.

“Now now, Doctor Alphys. You’ve done everything you could for now, and we appreciate your help,” his brother insisted. “I’ll keep a sharp eye on Sans and if we need you we will call again!”

Sans watched Alphys look back at Sans, worry in her gaze. Sans smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry Alphys. I’ll be okay. Don’t worry about me,” he told her. His words didn’t help, he could tell that much, but she nodded anyway and allowed Papyrus to escort her out. He let out a heavy sigh and laid back down, staring up at the ceiling.

_It has to be nothing…_

__________

“P-Promise you will call me if his condition doesn’t improve.” Papyrus let out a sigh, holding back the irritation Alphys was giving him. While he was grateful for her to come when he called, a little part of him wished he hadn’t called her in the first place.

Keeping up his cheerful smile, he opened the door for her. “Doctor Alphys, I promise you Sans will be okay. Now that you’ve cleared up the mystery here, Sans will be in the greatest care any monster has ever received! Sans will be better in no time!” And it was true. Now that Papyrus knew where Sans’ sickness was coming from, he knew fully well what to do.

“Are you sure,” Alphys pressed, stepping  out onto the porch. Papyrus’ smile grew.

“Of course. Any other interference from you would only hinder Sans’ improvement. We no longer have any use for you,” he said, not a hint of malice in his tone despite his harsh words. Still, Papyrus knew he had gotten his point across when Alphys looked up at him in complete shock and confused hurt. “Safe travels back to Hotland, Alphys.”

With those parting words, Papyrus closed the door in her face. He closed his eyes and let out a tense breath, allowing his expression to relax. He looked up to Sans’ doorway and then went to the kitchen. He knew how Sans got ill like this. It had been his fault. He went to the kitchen drawer that had been stuck for almost three months and opened the cupboard under it. He reached in and jiggled the drawer a little from the inside. It made a small click noise and came loose. Papyrus stood straight again and took one of the vials of medicine from the drawer. It was half empty. There would have been more if he had been more careful. He had been giving Sans too much in a desperate attempt to make Sans fall asleep before he could leave the house. This was a fatal error on his part, and one that could have possibly killed Sans if he hadn’t found out soon.

Clenching his fists, Papyrus put the vial back into the drawer and pushed it shut until the click was heard again.

_“…You could d-die Sans.”_

Papyrus shook in memory of Alphys’ words. Sans could have seriously died from the amount Papyrus was giving him.

_“P-Papyrus could come in one day… you would be d-d-dust…”_

Papyrus could have lost Sans, all because he hadn’t been cautious enough. It should have been obvious to him that Sans couldn’t handle a higher dose.

_“Sans would be dead”_

_“He’d be dust.”_

_“Your fault.”_

Papyrus slammed his fist against the counter, immediately wincing at the force he had put into it. He took off his glove slowly and examined his hand. At the carpels under his pinkie finger, there was a jagged crack in the bone. He frowned and took off his other glove and lightly scratched at the crack. The pain came again, but this time he was ready for it and didn’t wince.

This pain had to be nothing to what he had caused Sans with his misjudgment. Perhaps he deserved this.

_“It’s your fault.”_

Yes, he would deserve this type of punishment for hurting his dear brother like this. Steeling his resolve, Papyrus roughly dug the tip of his thumb into the crack. The jolt of pain that he caused made him suck in an unnecessary breath before he clenched his teeth tightly to hold in his voice. The pain went from his wrist and traveled up his arm, and he could tell he lost a couple hit points from it. He kept digging until he watched a second crack jut out from the first. Then he saw the sliver of bone break off and land on the counter.

He stared at it in almost child-like wonderment as the fragment slowly turned to dust without the support of his magic keeping it together. He removed his thumb from his hand and looked at the scarred bone. The crack was long enough to stretch across his Pisiform carpel, and there was now a quarter-inch gap in the bone where the now dusted bone fragment had once been. He stared at his scarred wrist for what felt like hours, pondering the pain that was still present, like a scrape on the knee cap that had dug just a little deeper than was comfortable.

He deserved this pain.

Resolutely, Papyrus put his gloves back on, the fracture now hidden from view with the only reminder of its existence being the dull ache he felt every time he moved it. He checked the time, realizing only ten minutes had passed. He hummed softly and smiled.

“I better go see what Sans wants for supper.”

He really would do anything for his darling older brother…


	6. Chapter 6

Papyrus watched Sans sleep with a fond smile. One week since he lessened the sleeping dosage and his brother had already visibly improved. Sans was once again sleeping soundly without any sign of distress in his expression. Papyrus’ soul pulsed happily at the sight. He could barely contain himself.

He quietly approached Sans’ bed and knelt down on the mattress. He took off his left-hand glove, which was the hand that didn’t have the still hurting fracture on it. With his bare hand, he languidly ran the tips of his fingers down Sans’ neck. His other hand had moved between down to his own waist, beginning to rub slow circles on the interior of his iliac crest. Yes, Sans was truly beautiful to him in this state. How could Papyrus refuse expressing the feelings inside of him, even if Sans would never know he did so? 

__________

_Sans was laying in the darkness of his mind he had grown used to floating in. When he first appeared here instead of a dream, Sans had been more than a bit scared that something bad would happen, but now he had adjusted to this place. There was no danger. Nothing happened here unless he willed it. It was like an escape of the daily stressors, a place he didn’t have to think. It was relaxing to him. He was so used to this state of mind, in fact, that after a while he would forget he was dreaming in the first place. He’d just let his mind slip away, accepting that this was now his life. He didn’t mind it that much. After all, in the back of his mind he still knew he could escape the darkness whenever he wanted to._

_That was how he was right now. Eyes closed, floating along in the invisible current he could feel but never see with no actual destination in mind. “This is the life,” he thought to himself. He could easily float there for eternity._

_An out of place sensation brushing over his neck snapped him out of his trance-like state and made him open his eyes. He was greeted with the same comforting darkness he usually saw. He sighed and closed his eyes again, concluding that he had imagined it. Then it came again, this time the sensation lingering and traveling down his neck and over his collarbone._

_“You’re so beautiful Sans.”_

_Sans’ eyes shot open at the sound of Papyrus’ voice, but when he looked around he found he was alone. He looked down and stared in horror at his naked bones, not recalling being naked before. He saw a larger skeletal hand rubbing his collarbone. He shivered as the hand scratched the side of his neck, being agonizingly gentle. The touch of the bones was familiar._

_“P-Papyrus? Wha-!“ Sans let out a choked moan when the hand moved down and slid across his floating ribs. He had to stop this, but when he tried to grab at the hand, his body refused to move. “No please. N-not there.”_

_“So perfect…”  Sans shivered as his brother’s voice echoed around him. He moaned again as the hand rubbed from his lower ribs to his back. When he felt the hand wrap around his spinal cord he let out a ragged gasp and trembled helplessly under the touch. Tears were gathering in his sockets as panic and need muddled his senses and sent his mind into overdrive. Up and down, up and down; constant and torturously slow. All Sans could do was whine at the need that was forced upon his body, his soul surging inside of him. He could feel his magic reacting to the stimulation, his pelvis starting to glow a faint blue with intangible magic._

_“Please, it’s n-not enough,” he whined pitifully, his voice sounding choked from the mixture of needy moans and hiccupping sobs escaping him._

_“You’re glowing Sans,” Papyrus’ voice echoed. “So you are enjoying this as much as I am..”_

_“P-Papyrus please- Aah!!” Sans tensed and choked on his words when the hand suddenly removed itself from his spine and slid its cold fingers into the holes in his pubic arch. He let out a desperate cry of need from the friction as the clawed tips of the fingers locked down on inside of his over-heated and sensitive pelvis, lightly scratching into the bone._

_“Not there. Anywhere but there,” he pleaded desperately, but his words was heard by no one. His fingers flexed and clawed at empty air. Drool slid down his chin in mix with his tears as he desperately wished this would end. It was too much and yet not enough at the same time._

_“Oh Sans. You look so amazing,” he heard Papyrus whisper, his brother’s voice full of lust. “Your magic is trying so hard to form, but you’re not quite strong enough for that yet.” Sans only grew louder as the fingers left the slots in his pubic arch and instead rubbed underneath and along the rim of his pelvis, just barely passing along his magic. “I can’t wait to see it one day, but I promise I’ll be patient.”_

_Sans could feel the hand rest on his sacrum, the fingertips dipping into the holes and making him nearly scream. His only thought was that he had to stop this hand from going up through his pelvis, but then the hand suddenly but lightly flicked his coccyx, sending a shot of pleasure and pain through his pelvis and up his spine. This immense feeling clouded his thoughts to the point where his mind shut down. All he could register now was the sensations his body was feeling._

_Panting and moaning loudly, he arched up sharply when the hand slid through his pelvis, breaching the half-formed magic there. Sans felt the ghost-stretch of his magic as the hand slid inside of him. For a sliver of a moment he wondered how he could feel an arm when only a hand was visible to him, but the thought was gone as soon as it came. There was an invisible pressure pushing down on his pelvis and lower back as the hand grabbed Sans’ spine once again. Sans screamed, unable to comprehend how the hand could still grab him while being so deep inside of him. It felt like his soul was bursting from the over-stimulation. It was true he could feel his soul dripping inside of him, but for some reason his body would not allow him release of the magic, leaving him unsatisfied and wanting more. And so he shook, unable to move from the hand gently rubbing his spine, but also unable to stop twitching from the fullness he could feel._

_And then is suddenly stopped._

_“You’re making such a mess, Brother.”_

 

Sans jolted upright in bed, panting and disoriented from waking up so suddenly. His head was spinning and it felt like his body was on fire. He also felt sticky and a little sick. Looking around, he found himself still alone in his room. He put his hand to his shirt and was surprised that the cloth was damp and lightly glowing underneath. With trembling hands, Sans pulled his shirt up to see that his soul was summoned and dripping a little. His ribs were already soaked. Could this dream really have caused this?

_That was a nightmare. It was one of my more insane ones, and that’s saying something._

Either way, the next step was for him to get cleaned up. His internal clock, though fuzzed, told him it was just a bit after four. So if he was lucky, Papyrus would still be asleep. The thought of Papyrus sent a shiver through his body and Sans chose not to think on his dreams for now.

When Sans moved his leg to hang off the edge of the bed, another shiver went through him. Only this one was different. This one caused him to gasp and hold back a moan. His pelvis was really sensitive for some reason. Trembling, Sans turned himself and slid his other leg off the bed as well. Once he accomplished that he was already panting and shaking from the sensitivity. He willed himself to stand, but every shift of the mattress against his pelvis had him biting back noises he did not want Papyrus hearing.

_No use. I can’t get anywhere in this state. H-Have to relieve this ache somehow…_

__________

Papyrus was humming happily as he exited bathroom after washing his hands and cleaning himself up. That had been a close one. He hadn’t expected his brother’s body to react so well to his motions, and the faint moans Sans had made in his sleep still echoed in Papyrus’ mind. He blushed slightly, remembering the barely audible whisper of his own name come from Sans’ mouth. Just the thought of it made his magic stir again, but he contained it this time. He had to go get Sans cleaned up as well before he woke up.

As Papyrus approached the door to Sans’ bedroom, a noise was heard from inside that made him pause. He silently cracked the door open, squinting to look into the dark room. When his vision adjusted to the darkness, he caught a sight he never dreamt of seeing. To Papyrus’ surprise, Sans was no longer asleep. Instead, he was biting into his pillow while lying across the bed on his side. One of his hands up his shirt, doing something underneath the thick fabric. Papyrus couldn’t tell what he was doing. Whatever it was, it caused Sans to squirm and forced him to hide his moans within the fabric of his pillow. Desperately clinging to the pillow with his other hand, Papyrus could see that Sans’ soul was getting brighter with every move his right hand was making.

The taller skeleton let out a slow breath, and a slight shift of his body reminded him that he had been getting excited again. Now he was hard, and the sounds of Sans’ muffled moans were only making it worse. Slowly, Papyrus had slid his hand down to his shorts and released his conjured erection from the fabric’s confines. He kept his gaze locked on Sans as he started rubbing himself off, his face flushed orange at the same intensity to Sans’ blue cheeks.

Sans closed his eyes and let out a sharp grunt. Then he released the pillow from his teeth, opening his mouth in a silent cry. Drool hung from his mouth and connected to the pillow, tears beading at the corners of his eye sockets. Papyrus sighed, resting his head against the doorframe.

_God, he’s beautiful…_

As he watched Sans, he could feel himself getting close. He saw Sans suddenly bite down on his hand. He had tensed and let out a muffled cry, his soul flashing brightly under his shirt. Papyrus shuddered, releasing into his glove while holding his mouth shut to contain his own sound. Panting, he watched Sans go slack onto the mattress, tired and sated. Papyrus’ magic dissolved and he finally took a step back from the door.

With absolute silence, he closed his brother’s door and returned to his room. Once his own door was safely closed, Papyrus sat down on the ground and leaned back against it. He looked down at his hand, a hint of his magic still visible on the glove. He rested his head back against the door and closed his eyes. His mind wandered back to the vision of his brother, and he couldn’t help but remember that he had probably caused it.


	7. Chapter 7

Papyrus had come to Sans’ room and knocked on the door. He had a plate with his brother’s lunch in his hand. A bit of time had passed since the incident with Sans touching himself, but Papyrus was still in his happy state of mind over it. He had Sans safe at home and at this rate nothing would change that. He heard Sans shift in his bed as he sat up.

_He must have been resting._

“Come in Pap,” Sans called in his usual drowsy fashion. Papyrus smiled and entered. Sans was looking down at his bedsheets in thought, not looking up at Papyrus. The younger brother wasn’t deterred, still smiling as he set the plate on the bed table in Sans’ lap.

“How are you feeling today, brother?” Papyrus asked. Sans finally looked up at him, giving him a tired smile.

“Pretty good. I still get dizzy, but I’m feeling more aware now.”

“That's good! Soon you’ll be up and about again!” And that also meant he could start gradually upping Sans’ medicine again.

“Yeah. Hey bro, I’m sorry you had to-” Papyrus cut him off.

“I don’t want to hear it. You’ve taken care of me most of my life, and I am perfectly capable of caring for you too. You are sick, and I will do my best to bring you back to health.”

Sans stared up at Papyrus and his smile slowly grew. “Thanks Papyrus…”

The sound of knocking at the front door broke the calm atmosphere. Papyrus got up from the chair beside Sans’ bed and hummed. “I’ll go see who it is. You eat your lunch, Sans.”

Papyrus went downstairs after fondly kissing Sans’ skull. Sans had blushed and shifted uncomfortably in bed in response to the action, but Papyrus didn’t think Sans was against it.

When he reached the front door, he saw the flames of Grillby’s head in the door window. Papyrus stepped back from the door, his smile gone.

_Maybe he will leave if I do not answer-_

Grillby knocked again. To Papyrus’ displeasure, he had called inside. “Papyrus? I know you're there, I saw you pass the living room window. Is now a good time?”

Papyrus closed his eyes and let out a slow breath, trying to stay calm. He quietly opened the door to see that Grillby came bearing gifts. He was carrying a small bouquet of echo flowers and a container that smelled like greasy flame-grilled hamburgers. He let out a nervous sigh and smiled at Grillby, telling himself to keep his cool.

“Hello Grillby… actually yes, it is a bit of a bad time to visit.” He spoke softly so Sans would not overhear. “Sans is asleep right now.”

Grillby looked disappointed, which both amused Papyrus and irritated him at the same time. “I see. That’s too bad. Would you give these to him then?” Papyrus nodded and took the gifts, internally cringing at the smell of the food. “How is he doing? I haven’t seen him in almost two weeks.”

Papyrus thought through his next words carefully. “He is improving, but is still not ready to leave bed. I’ll be sure to let him know you stopped by though.”

Grillby nodded hesitantly. “Let him know I hope to see him again soon.” Papyrus saw him look up to Sans’ bedroom for a flash of a second before he stepped away from the door. Papyrus bid him farewell and shut the door. He looked down at the flowers and food and sneered at the box.

_As if I would feed my brother this slop-_

He dropped the container into the garbage and then considered the flowers. They echoed eerily Grillby’s last words to him.

_“Let him know I hope to see him again soon.”_

Papyrus frowned. He sighed and took an unused vase from the cupboard, putting the flowers in it and putting water with them. He looked them over and smiled. “I’m sure Sans will love them.” 

__________

Sans heard the front door close and he sighed. Once again any bit of the outside world had left without a sign of its disturbance. He looked back down at his half eaten lunch and scooted the wooden bed table away so he could lay back down. He didn’t have much of an appetite after the events of the past couple nights. Ever since the first night-terror he had, his dreams were nothing but that feeling of being touched by horrifyingly familiar hands. He couldn’t describe how relieved he was when Papyrus had said nothing concerning noises he made when he woke from those dreams, nor did he question why his bed sheets were stained blue that morning. The last thing Sans needed was to go into that conversation with him when he didn’t even know how to explain the feeling himself.

He looked up as Papyrus came into the room. He was holding a vase of echo flowers. Sans’ eyes widened and he turned over to watch Papyrus set the foreign sight on his dresser.

“Where are those from Pap?” he asked. Papyrus had smiled to him and walked away from the dresser. He sat down beside the bed.

“Grillby had dropped them off for you!” he told him. Sans’ soul leapt as he looked back to the flowers. So he did hear Grillby downstairs. He hadn’t seen him in so long, and he actually missed talking to him. Maybe the flowers caught the fire monster’s voice? “He wanted to stay and visit, but he needed to go back to the bar.”

Sans saw that Papyrus was watching him, so he looked back to his brother and smiled. “That was cool of him. Hopefully he can come in and say hi next time.”

Papyrus nodded and then looked to the bed table. "Are you done eating, Sans? You barely touched it.”

Sans, noting the quick change in subject, nodded in response. “Y-Yeah. I’m not super hungry right now. I’ll eat at dinner time bro.”

Papyrus sighed. Sans expected a temporary earful, but Papyrus just picked up his bed table and put it to the side. “Very well. You just rest and get better.” Sans sighed and smiled up at Papyrus. His brother really was the coolest sometimes.

Papyrus had left him to rest after that. Sans closed his eyes, prepared to go back to sleep. Something began to nag at the back of his mind, though, and he couldn’t really drift off. After a few minutes, he looked up at the flowers again in thought. He sat up in bed and willed himself to get up. He was able to stand just long enough to move to the chair. He had used a lot of magic last night that he could not afford to waste right now. Still, the chair was close enough that he could hear the flowers whisper out their recorded voice.

_“I’m sure Sans will love them”_

Sans’ face fell and he let out a disappointed sigh. It was Papyrus’ voice. He rested his head back in the chair and closed his eyes.

Of course it had been his brother’s voice. It seemed his world had become nothing but Papyrus by now. He lived and breathed nothing but Papyrus, and when he was asleep, time passed indistinguishably. How long had he been in his bed? What day was it? Weeks? Days? Why hadn’t any of his friends bothered to visit him? What was even happening outside?

Sans looked out his bedroom window to the view of Snowdin Woods and his backyard. He wanted to be outside. He wanted to go to Grillby’s and take in the familiar sounds and warmth of the bar. The house had felt strangely cold and quiet to him. It only made him want to leave more.

He looked back to the echo flowers. They were the only source of the outside world he had, and even they were infected by Papyrus’ presence. It wasn’t that he didn’t like being home with Papyrus. On the contrary, he loved the quality time they were having when he wasn’t tired or delirious. The problem was that the seclusion and constant attention was affecting his dreams. It was quickly making contact with Papyrus unbearable. Sans wasn’t sure how much more he could take.


	8. Chapter 8

Papyrus couldn't sleep, and it was already a quarter past one. Sans was asleep as usual, but the younger monster found his usual bedtime routine was not enough to put him to bed. Nightly he would read Fluffy Bunny to himself, but he found the tale no longer enthralling without his brother reading the words to him.

Instead, his mind was distracted by thoughts of his brother's health. Sans' magic was stabilizing once again and the low dosage Papyrus had been giving him was now making it easier for him to rouse from his sleep. Just last night he almost woke Sans when he had begun showing his usual affections that night. It was a close call; he had to leave the room abruptly before Sans had fully awoken, but he couldnt deny that the scene of his dearest older brother being overcome with need once again made his bones burn with satisfaction. Even now he wondered what could have transpired if he had only stayed. For now it wasnt wise to pursue that train of thought. It was best to keep things the way they were.

Papyrus put down his book with a frustrated sigh. It was no good. He couldn't sleep like this. He needed to check on Sans. He got up and made the familiar trek to his brothers room, letting the door silently open.

There he was, the center of his world. Sans was snoring softly and curled up on his side, sleeping soundly. Papyrus smiled and quietly approached. He seated himself on the bed, watching Sans sleep for a moment. His eyelights trailed over his brother's blanketed form, a small blush coming to his cheekbones as he slowly removed the blanket. The cool air made Sans stir for a moment and shift to his back, an unintelligible mumble passing through his teeth before he once again was reduced to snores.

"You truly are perfect," Papyrus said in a soft hum. He shifted so he was kneeling just above Sans' knees, and he moved his gloveless hands to the other monster's prone body, his left curling around his neck and putting a soft pressure that he found often made Sans shiver. The soft touches Papyrus made were slow and loving as the fingers of his right hand grazed down into his brother's pelvis where he rubbed slow circles near Sans' sacrum. It didnt take long for a soft blue glow to start emitting from the smaller skeleton's bones as his magic became agitated by the touch he wasn't aware was being given. Papyrus looked up at Sans and smiled at the blush that painted his serene expression.

"That's it Sans," he whispered softly. He expected his brother's sensitive magic to spark enough to show parts if it kept up this way, but he still needed to be careful. Sans was on a very low dose at this point and he was easily woken now. He still didnt want to wake him. Sans was much too perfect like this.

After another long and perfect moment passed, Papyrus removed his hand from the other's neck so he could pull his shirt up and expose the smaller skeleton's ivory ribs. Conjuring a tongue, the younger of the two leaned down and starting licking between his lower ribs. A soft gasp emitted from Sans from this new sensation, a small spark of magic passing between the two on contact. Papyrus resisted a soft groan as he tasted him, loved him, _claimed_ him with every stroke of his tongue and fingers.

_And he's all mine~_

Papyrus shivered softly at the thought, a similar shudder going through Sans as if his brother subconsciously felt the same way. He moved his fingers lower to Sans' sacrum and relished in the breathy moan that left the older skeleton when his fingertips grazed the sensitive holes there. Sans' breathing was getting faster and more desperate. Papyrus eagerly slid his free hand below Sans' ribs and rubbed at his spine.

Another shock of magic went through Sans and his chest glowed weakly, but his soul wouldn't summon. Sans wasn't conscious enough to do that, and while it disappointed Papyrus slightly he was also relieved because Sans wasnt waking up at all. Usually the medicine would keep him asleep even if he conjured his soul.

_Soon, Papyrus. Patience... I can start increasing the dose again tomorrow._

Sans let out another soft moan as his other hand scratched softly at Sans's spine under his ribcage. "You're so lazy, brother," he whispered. "But that's why I love you so much. You're so willing to lay below me and rest even when I am making you feel so good. You trust me so easily, and because of that I can make you feel this good." Papyrus purred as he whispered to him, taking pleasure in the breathy whimpers that left Sans every time he panted below him.

_Any minute now. Any minute and his magic will make something down here. Then I can really make him feel even better!_

Suddenly doubt overtook Papyrus as he imagined making Sans cum by his own hand.

_What if this woke him up? After all, his magic levels are returning to normal. I dont want to wake him. He's too perfect. What if he wont approve of this?_

As soon as he thought it he began to reassure himself.

_Nonsense! The only reason he would act upset would be because he was being shy or nervous. It's because we are brothers, but I will make him see it doesn't matter. We are meant to love each other. No two monsters could ever be closer than family. Yes... I'll make him understand._

For now, though, he felt it was best not to wake him. Sans was still sick, and he didnt want to stress his brother any more than he needed to. So he continued to tease his body for now, but it was not wise to work him up too much tonight. The Great Papyrus was anything if not patient, and for Sans he would wait as long as was necessary.

After another five minutes of teasing went by, Papyrus finally willed himself away from Sans. He fixed his clothes and tucked his flushed brother back in. He then kissed his forehead and left him to sleep, only momentarily looking back as he silently closed his door.

__________

Sans woke to the early dawn cave-light seeping through his window. He groaned and shifted, immediately cursing from the residual feeling of his magic being active and unused.

"Not again. These dreams are going to be the death of me." Sans shivered and sat up, a broken gasp leaving him. His bones were once again oversensitive from a _dream_.

He scooted back to sit against the wall, reluctantly putting his hand to his collarbone and scratching lightly as his touch traveled to his neck. He didnt know why he was so attracted to grabbing his neck. He didnt even find the idea of choking all that appealing, but the sensation felt strangely familiar and so disgustingly good that he couldnt resist the shudder that went through him as his grip tightened. His face flush blue as he panted instinctively, willing his magic to summon his soul again as he often did when this happened. Soul masturbation was simple and fast. He could get this uncomfortable situation over with as soon as he could and still enjoy himself, but for some reason his magic did not respond as he wished it. Instead he felt a familiar tight heat enter his shorts.

"Shit..." He closed his eyes and laid his head back against the wall. "Guess we're doing it this way today." With a heavy sigh he weaved his free hand under the covers and pulled his shorts down so he could free his glowing erection. Just the shift of fabric and bone against it made him bite back a moan of need.

He closed his eyes when he finally began jerking himself off, his thumb subconsciously rubbing slow lines along the joints in his neck. He grit his teeth, holding back as much of the groans he made as possible. With every upward stroke he brushed his head. Every downward stroke earned a squeeze and another hard to hide moan.

He was just starting to leak precum when a terrifying sound caught his attention. The floorboard three steps from his door had creaked.

_Shit, Papyrus is awake!_

He quickly shifted his shorts back on and pressed his legs together to hide his bulge as best he could, bunching up the blankets a little closer around him. He cursed his brother's bad timing in the back of his mind as the door quietly opened and Papyrus peeked inside, but the anger was short lived when he saw that smile.

"Sans you're awake! Good morning," Papyrus chirped happily, opening the door further to come inside. Sans internally begged Papyrus not to notice anything.

"Yeah, mornin' Pap," he said, clearing his throat to get rid of the shake.

"How are you feeling? Your face is blue, you aren't feverish, are you?" There was a hope in his brothers eyes that said it all. It'd been nearly three weeks since he'd gotten sick. He was sure they were both getting tired of being home together all the time. Being a royal guard was Papyrus' dream, and he was keeping him from that.

Luckily for him, he felt really well aside from the dreams. "I'm feelin' pretty good, actually. I'm up to joining you for breakfast today for sure."

Papyrus lit up when he told him how he felt. "Fantastic! I'll be sure to make something great for breakfast to celebrate."

"That sound's great, bro. I'll be down in a little bit, m'kay?" He just needed to take care of his problem. Papyrus had left after a few more passing words about what to have and about being careful going down the stairs. Sans he sighed heavily once the door closed, relaxing his legs finally. He moved his blanket down so he could look at the tent in his shorts, which were slightly wet from the precum. "Stupid dreams," he muttered to himself, taking the shorts and throwing them into a close by pile of socks. He needed to change clothes anyway.

Having Papyrus come into his room was now making him think back on his dream. He shivered and cupped his neck in his palm again.

_"That's it Sans..."_

He whimpered softly, reaching down and starting to lightly run his hand over his illiac crest, the touch eerily familiar and yet not quite the same. His hands were smaller than the ones in his dream. They didn't touch the same way. But why did he want it to feel the same way? It was violating and embarassing. Why did it feel so good?

_"That's right... Lay below me and I'll make you feel good~"_

Papyrus' voice came without warning to his thoughts and Sans let out a shaky moan as he let go of his neck and put his hand up his shirt, his too small hand rubbing over his floating ribs while his other hand returned to his pulsing magic. He closed his eyes, letting the darkness mimic how it felt in his dreams.

Soon Sans was gasping with every stroke, and his wandering hand had lowered to his sensitive pelvis where his smaller fingers passed over his sacrum and easily slotted into the lowest holes. His right hand flew to his mouth and he bit down hard, muffling the loud moan he almost made. He had nearly came from the touch itself. He groaned into his hand as his fingers slid up to the next row of holes. He could taste himself on his fingers and he could feel precum drip down his ecto-dick.

_"Will you cum for me Sans~?"_

"Nmgh~" Up to the third row. He felt like he could barely breath. Every bone in his body was shivering and he could hardly think past the familiar voice in his head. His eyes cracked open and he stared up at the cieling with blown eyelights. He wanted to cum. He wanted to cum so bad that it hurt.

Sans took his hand from his mouth, going against his better judgement in favor of desperately pumping his conjured flesh. He was panting hard, and every exhale held a small moan. Not even thinking, he twisted his fingers in his sacrum holes, eliciting a louder whine from his throat. One that could surely be heard downstairs, but he couldnt bring himself to care. He wanted this.

_"You make such pretty noises Sans. I want to hear more of them."_

"P-aah~ mmn!" Spurred by the words echoing in his mind he stumbled to try and form words that were swallowed up by the empty room. When his fingers scratched up to the last row of holes Sans was done for. Cum spurted out of his cock and painted over his hands and pelvis a bright blue. He closed his eyes, panting hard as the rush of his dizzying orgasm flowed over him.

His magic dissipated after a few seconds as he relaxed. Sans was disturbed from his lull suddenly by a soft click. Opening his eyes, he scanned the bedroom slowly but found nothing amiss. He must have been hearing things. He grabbed a sock and wiped away the last of the glowing mess on himself and pulled himself out of bed to get dressed. His clean clothes felt heavy and Sans felt like he could feel nearly every strand of yarn rub against his bones.

Now that he wasn't stuck in headspace, he was silently hoping that Papyrus had been too preoccupied with breakfast to hear him. He could never let his brother find out how much of a freak he was turning into. When he exited his room, he was relieved to hear Papyrus humming in the kitchen. He went to the bathroom and washed his face with cold water, letting the chill run over his warm bones for a few second before drying his face. Even the plush towel felt itchy to him.

He gave himself a few more seconds to calm down before he made the harrowing journey down the stairs. His mind flashed back to the day he had messed up in teleporting when he looked down to the living room below. The height itself felt dizzying, but he knew he was well enough to go downstairs today. He had to be if he was ever going to get out of the house again.

He took the first few steps slow, and to his relief Sans found the downward journey to be just as easy as it ought to be. With one hanf on the banister as a precaution, he took the stairs at a confident pace. He saw Papyrus come out of the kitchen and take a few steps towards the stairs so he could watch him. Sans felt bad that Papyrus had to worry so much about him. it was bad enough before he got sick. He couldnt wait for things to go back to normal.

"You made it after all," Papyrus praised, a smile finally gracing his features when Sans reached the bottom step. Sans smiled back.

"Yep, I finally _stepped up_ to the occasion." A pun. God, he hadnt made one in so long. It seemed he still hadn't lost his touch, because Papyrus took a few seconds to recognize it before an all to familiar groan left him.

"That wasn't even a good one! You went down the stairs!" Sans knew he wasnt mad. How could he be? It was a taste of normalcy niether of them had had in weeks.

"Oops. Guess I better step down from the pun pedestal then~"

"Sans, you're not funny, nor will you ever be!"

"I beg to differ. You're smiling," he said happily.

"You know its a smile of pain," Papyrus snapped, but the younger monster's smile seemed to grow despite his words. "Enough of your silly puns. I made flapjacks."

"You made.. what?" Sans gave his brother a queer look. He'd never heard of those before.

"Its another word for pancakes. That's what Shopkeeper called them," Papyrus clarified. Sans hummed and walked to the kitchen table. They definitely didnt smell burned, so they had to be good.

"Well, let's eat up. I'm starved," Sans said with a smile. 

They ate breakfast together jovially. Unfortunately, the cakes turned out a little chewy, but Sans didnt mention it. They were sweet and hit the spot just right. He spurt out another pun or two during the meal, and Papyrus took them with his usual displeased/amused manner. Once things were wrapping up, Sans decided to ask something.

"Hey bro, can we go out and check on the stations today?" he asked. Papyrus had stopped cutting up the last bites of his food and looked up at Sans with a uncertain expression.

"Are you sure, Sans? Suppose a human comes by today. You're still not in the greatest condition..."

Sans waved his hand dismissively. "Come on bro. I've got you at my back. It's just one lap around."

"Yes, one lap," Papyrus said gravely. "One lap around the entirety of Snowdin woods, as well as half of Waterfall. Thats a long ways."

"You can carry me if I get tired," Sans pointed out. "Come on Pap. I wanna get out of the house. I bet the Dogs and Undyne would love t'see you again after so long." Papyrus seemed to ponder his brother's words after that. Sans prayed it worked. After a minute, Papyrus conceded with a long sigh.

"Fine, but if you get too tired, I am taking you home," he conceded. 

"Deal."


	9. Chapter 9

Sans stopped at the doorway, fully dressed and itching to get outside. Papyrus had seemed to take a little more time than normal to get ready, as if he was delaying this, but Sans just shook it off. Nothing could deter him at this point, not when he was so close to going outside. 

When Papyrus finally joined him at the door, the taller skeleton opened it first. Familiar, cool air swept over Sans' face as it opened. Sans smiled as he stepped outside, sockets closing as he took it in. 

_Fresh air!_

Sans opened his eyes again as Papyrus stepped out beside him, closing the door behind them. This was actually happening. He was finally out and about after being bedridden for weeks. He and Papyrus could wander around and enjoy the snow and even talk to other monsters! He imagined Papyrus was just as happy as he was about all this, seeing as he got to do work again. 

__________

This was a very bad idea. His precious, beloved Sans was around other monsters. They were going to talk to him. They were going to  _touch_ him! Why did he agree to this terrible plan? 

_Simple, because he looked so happy to go with me._

Papyrus quickly followed Sans as the smaller monster descended the steps and began to wander towards their pre-determined first destination, Snowdin Woods. All they had to do was pass completely through the village to get there. 

_Okay, Papyrus. Call down. It's not so bad. He is under your supervision, and he will not wander far. You can do this. You are the Great Papyrus!_

He shuddered as he realized many more monsters than he expected had noticed Sans's presence and waved. Why did they care? The Snowdin residents always found the two of them queer. Surely his brother did not weigh that heavily on their minds. Not unless someone was spreading around gossip about him, which would not stand. Perhaps he needed to poke around later to see if any new word was traveling amongst the locals. The dogs would be a good starting source, he hoped. Luckily for them, it seemed only a couple of monsters were interested in speaking to them, and it was just a passing hello. The bunny family waved as they went by, with the mother saying it was good to see that Sans was feeling better. It was all a mock friendliness though. Papyrus was sure of it. The town only saw them as silly. Unless they were patrons of that scummy bar, none of them really spoke to Sans to begin with. Not that he was aware of, anyway.

He and Sans responded in kind, saying their hellos and smiling. Papyrus didn't really wish to hang around, but he was horrified when Sans had stopped walking to pick up conversation with the family. Thinking fast, Papyrus had managed to steer Sans away before any real conversation could start up. "Those puzzles won't calibrate themselves you know!"

Papyrus' biggest worry was about approaching Grillby's. It was still early morning, so Papyrus was hoping that not many patrons were there yet to possibly notice them pass. Perhaps the fire monster was in the back cooking breakfast. Yes of course. Nothing to worry about. Nothing except the longing look Sans cast to the bar as they passed by, making Papyrus' marrow boil a little. Sans shouldn't want to go inside that badly. 

As he had hoped, no one had come out of the building to greet them and they had passed the rest of the town without disturbance. As they crossed the bridge, Papyrus began to kick up old conversation to fill the silence, going on about he was eager to check his long forgotten puzzles to make sure they were running properly. Sans had seemed to take as much interest in the topic as he usually did, humming in response to him every so often. Something about his brother did seem different, though, which he only really took notice of after Sans gave a soft sigh and looked away from the main path to stare idly into the trees. Being the nurturing and great brother he was, he became worried if this outing was too much for Sans. Papyrus came to a stop just before the icy path and put his hand on his hips.

"Sans, is something bothering you?" he asked. Said skeleton paused his steps and looked back up at Papyrus. He seemed a little lost for a moment before he smiled. 

"Nah. I'm just enjoying the scenery, bro. It's been a while since we were out here together," Sans said with a relaxed sigh. The tension lessened to know his brother was at ease, but he was still clearly concerned.

"We had a deal Sans. Please don't push yourself." Sans' smile remained aloof, but Papyrus wasn't buying it. He crossed his arms and scowled down at his brother. "Brother..."

"Paps, chill." Sans sighed and starting taking backwards steps towards the ice path. "I'm fine, I pro- ah!" Sans had stepped onto the ice path and was sent flying backwards into the trees. Papyrus cracked a smile and laughed lightly. That would teach Sans not to be so reckless. Luckily he wasn't in any danger of falling at the end of dead drop, which Papyrus was oh so diligent about resetting so humans couldn't just go straight across the ice without solving his puzzle. Sans could just teleport to the other side like he always did. Except a horrifying thought occurred to him as he thought about it; Sans still couldn't teleport. He was still weak, and a fall like that could dust him! In the distance, Papyrus heard Sans shout his name.

"SANS!" The younger brother took off down the ice as fast as he could and flew through the trees. As the clearing came into view, Papyrus could vaguely see Sans clinging to the edge of the path, his face contorted in panic. His tiny hands were scratching lines into the ice as he continued to slowly slip away from the edge. "Hang on Sans!" Papyrus had thought fast as he careened across the slippery path, and removed his scarf. As he neared the ledge, he summoned a large bone behind him that the scarf looped around. With this he was able to stop sliding at the edge. 

"Papyrus!" Sans scrambled suddenly and his weak grip on the edge slipped free. Papyrus could only ACT as he used the leverage of his scarf to lean down and snatch Sans's wrist, stopping his older brother's fall. Sans quickly looked up at Papyrus, and the horrified look to his eyelights faded to relief and his body relaxed. As the adrenaline slowed, Papyrus sighed with his own relief as he pulled his brother to safety. "Nice moves, Pap. I thought I was a goner for a second there."

"Nonsense brother," the younger skeleton chimed. "The Great Papyrus would never let you fall to your death! I couldn't- I couldn't make it without you." Sans' eyes had widened before turning vaguely sad. He had reached up with both hands and cupped Papyrus's cheekbones, thumbs rubbing near his eye sockets. 

"Awe, dont cry bro. You're not gonna lose me," Sans spoke to him softly. It was then that Papyrus realized he had started to cry. Had he really been that shaken up? A shudder ran through him as he hugged Sans close to him, wanting to hold him unbearably tight that they merged into one but staying gentle so he wouldn't hurt him. 

"I know that, Sans. As long as we stick together, nothing bad can happen." He pulled at his scarf to heft himself to his feet without too much sliding, still holding Sans in his arms. He shifted his grip on his brother and pulled himself together, his smile returning. "Though I believe for now I should hold onto you until we are clear of this area."

Sans had laughed, and the sound was like a huge dose of food magic to his system. He stood tall and returned his scarf to its rightful position on his shoulders. He summoned a row of bones to bridge the gap in the ice and crossed, sliding harmlessly the rest of the way across his expert ice puzzle. He continued to carry his brother down the path a bit further before reluctantly putting him down on the path. He wanted to hold to his word that he would only carry Sans if he became tired out. Even still, his mind was telling him after all that had happened, it wasn't good for them to be on this walk anymore. 

__________

_That was too close for comfort._

That was all Sans could think about as they continued to walk. He could have easily died back there. 

_Thank Asgore for the training Undyne had given Pap. I'd be dust if it wasn't for his hard work and quick thinking._

Sans smiled as he walked beside Papyrus. He chuckled softly. 

_I literally couldnt live without him now._

They soon approached Dogamy and Dogressa's stations. Sans could see the nose-nuzzlers sitting together and sending cute looks from their distance apart. Dogamy saw them first, ears perked and tail wagging from below his cloak. Soon they were both upon the brothers excitedly. 

"Sans! (Sans and Papyrus!) How are you guys?"

"(Yes it's been so long since youve been out together)"

"How've you been feeling Sans? Better?"

Sans grinned. God he missed talking to these two dorks. "I'm still a little  _ruff_ around the edges, but definitely got some of my strength back."

"Indeed," Papyrus spoke up. "Of course he would heal up. He was under my expert care, after all!" The dogi gave him an odd look, sending warning bells off in Sans' head. Papyrus had sounded almost defensive.

"Papyrus, you're trained in first aid?" Dogamy asked. This seemed to give Papyrus some pause, but his answer was calm and as confident as usual.

"Well no, but I know how to take care of a bad flu. Sans had done it for me before and I am a fast learner." Sans was getting uncomfortable. While his brother did take good care of him, he didnt recall Papyrus ever being sick. The dog couple didnt seem convinced of Papyrus' words either, which didnt help his unease. "Well enough chit chat! Those humans will not capture themselves! Lets go Sans!"

"Uh- yeah okay." Sans put his hands in his pockets and followed behind Papyrus as if on auto pilot. 

_No... I want to talk to the dogs a little longer. I havent seen other monsters in forever..._

But follow, he did. They had disappeared from the clearing within moments and were travelling closer to the Ruins. When they drew close to Doggo's station, Papyrus actually hushed Sans' steps and deliberately walked behind the station to avoid the guard's motion-sensitive gaze. Sans frowned as they left that area without so much as a disturbance. 

"Hey Pap? Not to sound responsible or anything, but shouldnt you check in on Doggo too?" Sans asked. 

"Nonsense. Doggo would have captured a human by now if one had passed by. I have faith in him." Papyrus' confident smile sent a spike of warmth through Sans' chilled bones and he sighed in acceptance. 

_He has so much trust in everbody. I shouldn't question his motives like that. He doesnt have a mean bone in his body._

"Okay Sans. Stay at the station and I'll go down to the door and back quick." 

Sans blinked and looked around quickly. He hadn't even realized they reached his hotdog stand. He looked up at Papyrus and rose a brow. "What, dont think I can handle it, bro?"

Papyrus gave a nervous laugh. "Its not that, Sans. Theres nothing down there, so you should take the opportunity to rest your bones for a few minutes."

_Well that makes sense. Cant say no to a brother approved break._

"Alright bro. We'll go down together next time."

"Excellent! I'll return shortly!" 

Sans watched Papyrus walk down the path and the rounded his station. He dusted snow off his old stool and sat himself down, relaxing against the table. 

He was kind of disappointed by not getting to see the door. He wouldn't have minded hearing the old lady's voice again. For that matter, he wanted to catch up with the dogs, see what he's been missing. He shook his head and closed his eyes. 

_Who am I kidding? Nothing ever happens around here._

Whether it was the long walk or the old, comforting posture Sans was sitting in, the monster found himself drifting off. Initially, he welcomed a short nap while waiting for his brother, but the reminder of his constant dreams stirred anxiety. He shifted in his chair, fighting sleep for a minute or so before his drowsiness took hold of him and he fell asleep. What harm could come from a small nap? 


End file.
